MEET THE TEAM Emma Dearling - Creative Director Isabel Taylor - Designer Tyler Mclardy - Designer Nanna Talvitie - Social Media/Website Design Ruby Diable - Brand Strategist Alice Kiernander - Brand Strategist Sarah Fielden - Marketing Strategist
OUR MISSION Pinya Pockets is a sophisticated brand dedicated to its loyal customers, providing a reliable and practical bag for commuters. A stylish, unisex and functional product. We strive to help our customers with the everyday struggle to and from work, carrying all of your belongs in one bag. Offering a selection of bags from, rucksacks, briefcase and satchels. We may be a small company but we think big and have innovated ideas appealing to. Pinya Pockets isn’t just a brand it is a lifestyle and attitude. With customisable pockets you have a say in how your bag is organised, never forgetting your everyday essentials. Helping the planet by being sustainable our environmentally friendly bags are perfect for those of you who want animal cruelty free products and organic materials. In the hope that men and women both enjoy and gain from what we have to offer.
CODE OF CONDUCT Being a sustainable brand we want to ensure our customers receive a high quality manufactured product that will last a life time. We are committed to our consumers and our brands ethos, we will only do business with suppliers that have the same strategy and are conscious of safe, efficient manufacturing. This code of conduct refines the expectations we have of businesses we work with and the standards we expect to see when engaging with them. We expect the businesses and suppliers we work with to abide by the national laws of the countries in which they work. 1)Employment Employees must be able to leave the work place when they please, they will not be restricted or subjected to their freedom. 2)No harassment or abuse treatment Employees will be treated with respect. Any type of physical, psychological or verbal abuse will not be tolerated. 3) Safe and hygienic working conditions The environment in which employees work must be in a safe and hygienic condition to minimise the chances of accidents and injuries. 4)No discrimination Workers should only be employed on the basis of their ability to do the job and meet the standards required from them. There is no excuse for anybody to be discriminated because of religious beliefs, ethnicity, sex, or nationality. Everybody in the work place should be treated equally and only be judged on their work outcome. 5)Working hours Employees in the work place must have regular working hours but not exceed the maximum. 6)No child labour There will not be any child labour tolerated and suppliers should not engage in the use of child labour. Employees should be at least 16 or older. 7)Wages are provided for all employees Wages must be paid regularly and on time to all employees, the wages should depend on the type of work and work performance that the employees under go.
BRAND IDENTITY Pinya Pockets is a unisex bag brand aimed at the commuter that requires a bag that is utilitarian but still stylish, modern and ethical. The brands identity stems from the core values of Quality, Sustainable & Stylish. There’s a lot of ethical leather alternatives but we’ve targeted a source in the Philippines called Pinatex that have taken the by-product of pineapples and created a non-woven textile from the waste plant fibres. This is the main textile used in our products. We want to be perceived as a fresh outlook on the way your bag can be utilised and we want to be known as the brand that focuses on not just the outer shell of a bag, but the inside and its storage possibilities. We want to be portrayed at a modern, alternative, smart, casual accessory. Our Strategic vision is to gain recognition across multiple continents and to expand our product range to fit everybody needs. We’re starting as only ordering online and a few concessions in some department stores in major UK cities. Overall Pinya Pockets wants to be seen as a trust worthy, innovative, ethical & gender neutral fashion brand known for making high quality, high purpose, and timeless products, created by the people, for the people.
CONSUMER PROFILE Our customer is aged between 25-55; their age isn't what we are trying to attract rather their lifestyle and attitude. They work in city, traveling on the tube, bus or train. As a commuter they would travel over an hour on public transport every day. They have a disposable income, spending money on high quality products and using brands such as Cos, Russell and Bromley, Waitrose and Selfridges. They would go to work dressed professional and desire a bag just as professional. However, as they are commuters they have different needs and desires for a bag. Our customer requires more compartments within a bag than the average man or women. As it is a work bag they would be carrying a laptop, laptop charger, paperwork, phone, lunch, water, and possibly even shoes if they commute a longer distance. They may travel for leisure or work, they're active and are conscious of what products they are buying.
COMPETITION
Pinya Pockets wanted to bring something new for commuters to make their journey easier and stress free. We’ve designed new and exciting inserts alongside stylish bags to create the perfect holdall for a commuter, adding different compartments to make finding your personal items effortless. Pinya Pockets researched into other brands to understand who our competition is and how we could improve our product to make it superior to our target market. As a new start up brand we needed to look closely at our competitors and discover what they have that is individual compared to other brands, when looking for a brand alike Pinya Pockets we discovered ‘The Breton Company’, this brand has a very similar idea to Pinya Pockets, they have created back packs with multiple pocket options inside to carry each of your items carefully and adequately, keeping your things tidy and safe when travelling. ‘Vessel’, this brand is also very unique, they give their customers the option to completely customise their bags using a range of colours making it extremely personal to them. ‘Laudi Vidni’ another brand we looked at when doing our competitor research, this brand gives their customers the option to chose a beautiful leather outer shell fabric, then their lining fabric and finally their hardware colour. Each of these brands have great qualities that would almost definitely satisfy their customers. Pinya Pockets has similarities but also a lot of differences to these brands, we supply an alternative leather, Pinatex which is made from pineapple skin, we also use an organic cotton for the lining and pockets, we are very aware of the environment and want to do our bit to help our surroundings and our customers. We are a sustainable brand that provide stylish, quality and compact bags. We are committed to making an impact, for our customers and our territory.
Vessel Custom bags – www.vesselbags.com Vessel are a custom bag company which offers a range of products to customise. They show a selection of plain white bags, from backpacks, shopper bags to golf bags. They have an easy online generator where you can choose the colours for different panels of the bag, and and also the lining of the bag. You are able to choose from 8 materials and the bags are from around $150, to about $260. With every bag that you purchase, vessel gives school backpack to a child in need. They have so far provided 9265 backpacks. They give you a unique ID number inside which corresponds to the number of backpacks that have been given to help children. They are reliant on charitable contributions to carry out their mission to make a difference in the world. The bags are also guaranteed for life. Three words: modern, durable and versatile.
Laudi Vidni – www.laudividni.com Laudi Vidni are also another customise bag company. You can choose from a selection of different bags, colours and fabrics. You can choose which colours and on which panels, the lining, strap and bag tie details. You can even choose to have silver or gold hardware. They are a US brand and can be delivered in 3-5 weeks. Prices starting from around $95 to $795. They have backpacks, purses, clutches make-up bags. All bags are made from leather they come in a variety of different colours, textures and patterns. Three words: Variety, customised, unique
Breton
Company
– http://bretoncompany.com/products/modernday-briefcase Breton Company is a bag company for the “modern professional”. There bags combine the comfort and convenience of a backpack. Their bags are not customised however they do offer the idea of multiple pockets for the commuter. They do aim at cyclists as the designer himself is a cyclist and feel this bag design would be beneficial to them. The bags are designed with two leather handles, padded shoulder straps, a laptop sleeve with a secure strap, pen and business card holders, and 8 internal pockets. The bags come in two different sizes. They really invest in the materials of their products, sourcing from the oldest tanneries in Italy. Making the leather not only durable, but with age it will become more beautiful. The leather is only the straps and handles. They use durable water resistant waxed cotton for the exterior. As well they use the most reliable zippers on the market, YKK zippers, to ensure that the bag will last. Three words: practical, durable and lasting
OUR LOGO Our original name started at Pinya Bolsa, which means ‘Pineapple Bag’ using the Fillipino word of Pineapple and the Spanish name for Bag which is Bolsa. We wanted to use these two languages because the pineapple leafs which make the leather are from the Phillipines and the research was undertaken in spain and the UK.When first looking at this logo we decided that it didnt reeflect enough on our brand. The next name we came up with was Pinya Pockets, as our orgininal idea came from the ‘Pocket Problem’. The logo then developed to our final outcome.
QUESTIONNAIRE Commuters tend to be dressed very professionally, the majority that we spoke to were dressed in suits with polished leather shoes, tidy briefcases or holdalls; ladies in smart dresses with nice heels and matching bags. When asked about their thoughts on bags for their travels and work, most said that they desire a bag with lots of compartments within it, for everything they need to carry with them, laptops, phones, books, documents, keys, food, the list is very long! If the commute was very long for someone, then perhaps a compartment for a change of clothes or shoes should be considered in the design. 1. What is your age? 2. Type of employment? 3. What city do you currently work in? 4. How do you travel to work? 5. What do you keep in your bag? 6. When buying a bag for work, what features do you look for? 7. How much did you spend on your last bag? 8. How much would you spend on custom made bag for work? 9. What do you prefer your bags to be made from? 10. What would you add to your current bag?
The questionnaire sent out to the public consisted of multiple questions including what type of compartments the public wanted in their backpack and which items where important to have with them when on the move. As suspected in this age of technology, the mobile phone was the most popular requested item to have a specialised pouch for so I made sure within every concept there was space for such items, it would’ve been easy to choose a pocket for the most popular phone but I believe we’re going to offer pockets for the current major phone models such as the iPhone 6, 6+, 7, Samsung Galaxy S6, S7. These are the major selling mobile phones at the point of the product launch but as seasons progress and more models of mobile phones are released Pinya Pockets will continually update the design for the specialised pouches, an ever evolving product for an ever evolving market. The next most popular choices for compartments were pens, and other stationary such as paper & books. To make this compartment as effective as possible, when chosen with the laptop compartment (also one of the most popular choices) they will be arranged to the paper pouch will be in front of the laptop pouch, creating a solid back to this pouch, leaving your papers and books un creased and the best quality as leaving papers loose can leave them damaged and presenting them in a low quality finish when retrieving them.
As previously mentioned, the laptop was also a major choice in items to include in the commuter’s arsenal so like most bags we’re going to include the pouch for this at the lower back of the bag to create a flat, sturdy surface on the wearers back. The water Bottle is another choice to be catered for in the pockets so I’ve designed a circular pouch for a water bottle, although this pouch will need extra layering and need to be quite deep to make sure of minimal water damage from condensation and water droplets from the bottle. Headphone have been catered for by utilising a small clip/band with a popper in which the wearing can keep the headphones in place easily and quickly, if chosen this will be attached infront of the pouch for a phone charge to keep everything related, near each other, the same concept with the paper & books pouch, with the slots for pens/pencils. This purely for ease for access and to increase speed of searching when using the product.
TREND RESEARCH We decided to look at trend for SS18, as this would be when we would want to sell our bags, we wanted the bag to stylish and relevent. The first trend ‘Parched Surfaces’ is where we found our idea for collaborating with Pinatex. Pinatex is made completly from pineapple leaves, it is a bi-product of the pineapple harvest and has 0% waste, it also has a very lovely texture. The next trend we looked at was ‘Evolved Essentials’ we wanted to take the traditional bag and make it into a compact, stylish but purpose built bag. By tackling the ‘Pocket Problem’ we want to put customisable inserts into different ‘Shells’ of bags so that the everyday commuter can comfortable put all their belongings in one place.
From our initial research the trend for SS18 is parched surfaces and alternative options to leather, from this we thought about potentially collaborating with Anas Anem which make the pinatex material. The material has a really lovely texture and quite simple toned down colours which work with our colour palettes for the linings. Also the trend of evolved essentials ties into our ideas of having this customisable bag, where you can choose the different compartments and pockets to make it easier for the business commuter. We want to change the normal bag into something more compact and usable for the customer.
COLOUR RESEARCH When looking at the colour trends for SS18, we wanted to look both men and womans colours to find a middle ground for our unisex colour palette. We liked the idea of using more toned down colours, clean and professional whilst also keeping it stylish. From looking at the two colour palettes for SS18 for men and women were would be able to find a ‘middle ground’ for a suitable colour palette to make it unisex. We were thinking of quite simple, toned down colours but still being able to give the bags a personality.
BAG RESEARCH From looking at the trend research for 2017/18, there was a trend for bags that have different uses and handles this really appealed to us as a starting point. Thinking about the commuter, they have many different items they need to fit into a bag, the idea of having a compact bag with different uses would appeal to this market. As we are a unisex brand we wanted bags that would appeal to both men and women. We chose a briefcase style bag, a backpack, satchel and a portrait side bag we thought that these bags would appeal to everyone and is a big enough range to suit the customer.
FABRICpinatex CHOICES
Pinatex is a new sustainable, natural non-woven fabric made from fibres of pineapple leaves. They are a by-product from the growth of pineapples, which means there is no excess waste, water or pesticides used in the process of developing Pinatex. The innovative fabric also provides farmers with extra income. Pinatex was developed in the Philippines, with research now being undertaken in the UK and Spain.
FABRIC CHOICES organic cotton Organic cotton is grown in an environment where no pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilisers are used. Organic is one of the most popular sustainable fabrics available. it can be used for clothing, sheets, bandages,, baby clothes and towels. Organic cotton is skin-friendly, soothing and the most harmless natural fibre. While conventional cotton can sometimes be irritating to new for skin. We plan to use organic cotton for the inserts of our bags. As a sustainable fabric it is perfect to use, especially as out brief is to produce a sustainable and environmentally friendly bag. We plan on dyeing the fabric also including prints for our customers. If they would rather a colourful insert to reflect there personality we can provide that. We still need to test the fabric to see if it can hold laptops, shoes, lunch etc.
PRODUCT RANGE From looking at the questionnaire, we were able to choose which compartments we wanted in our bag. The main two, are a phone compartment and one for pens, we have done research into the different sizes of phones for example, Iphone 5 and Iphone 6plus, and the Samsung phones, this way the customer would be able to choose which compartment they need for which phone they own. We will also have a laptop compartment between 13 inch and 17inch, and some smaller compartments for a tablet and files, as a business commuter these would be the main things kept inside the bag. We would also like to make a structured compartment inside the bag, or a separate zippered compartment at the bottom so they can be used for lunch, chargers or shoes. By being able to select the different compartments for your bag, it is personal and customisable to the customer for their needs. The customisable linings in the bag can be zipped in and out, so that the customer is able to design different compartments that can be taken in and out. By doing this they are able to just buy one bag, which has many different purposes.
PRODUCT PACKAGING Thinking about the packaging we want them to be in recyclable cardboard with a reminder printed at the bottom about recycling responsibly By having a box shape we would be able to safely package the bag inside with some type of padding to keep it safe, also whilst having a stylish packaging look. We are thinking about ways to have the logo on our boxes and the placement of the customers address. On the front corner, back or even over the opening of the box. We were thinking about having it printed or maybe even embossed into the cardboard.Â
DIGITAL MOCK-UP To advertise our brand, we have set up social media pages such as Instagram and Facebook. We chose Instagram and Facebook, as they are most used and popular platforms used on social media. From 2014-2015 49-59% Instagram users are on the platform daily, where as Facebook stays unchanged with 70%. We provide information about our products, brand and coming events, and post at least twice a week to stay active and keep our followers interested.
WEBSITE DESIGN Pinya Pockets has a very clean and more modern website. Using simple and appealing colours that don’t take focus away from our products. As our customers will solely use our website to purchase and customize the bags, we made it easy to everyone. Our website includes pages such as our home, shopping, look book, shopping bag, contact us etc. We want our customers to be provided with information about our products and how they are produced.
PRESS RELEASE We have chosen to make our press release into a pineapple themed occasion, inviting reporters, bloggers and potential brand collaborations to share with them the new, innovative bag that is Pinya Pockets! We will begin the evening with a talk from the founders of Pinya Pockets explaining their ideas behind the concept of the bag for commuters, the founder of Ananas Anam, Dr.Carmen Hijosa will deliver a speech explaining how and why Pinatex evolved. Fellow guests speakers include the Creative Director Emma Dearling and our Designers Tyler Mclardy and Isabel Taylor. Refreshments will include mini pineapple canopies with a Pinya cocktail, we want our guests to have fun and enjoy what Pinya Pockets has to offer. A concession stand will also be set up if any of our guests would like to purchase a bag for personal use at a discounted price.
Pinya Pockets Launch Event
Released on: December 28th 2016 London – January 10, 2017. It has been announced today that Pinya Pockets will premier it’s newly established unisex brand. The unisex line features a selection of six bag styles each of which have customisable pockets for the consumers need, the bag itself is made out of the recently discovered sustainable pineapple leather, Pinatex. The event will start at 6:30pm, all tickets are available on the Pinya Pockets website. Please RSVP before the 4th January. The show will include a talk from the founders of Pinya Pock-ets explaining their ideas behind the concept, the founder of Ananas Anam, Dr.Carmen Hijo-sa will deliver a speech explaining how and why Pinatex evolved. Fellow guests speakers include the Creative Director Emma Dearling and our Designers Tyler Mclardy and Isabel Taylor. Emma Dearling, Creative Director says “We’re really excited for the brands release, Pinya Pockets will help customers with their everyday needs. With sustainability as a main priority we hope that we can encourage our customers to become more environmentally aware. We’re really honored to be collaborating with Ananas Anam and their innovative product” PHO
PHOTOSHOOT With the photshoot we decided to keep it to a very simple product shoot. We felt this would advertise our products best on our website and social media as it refelcts our clean simplistic appraoch as a brand. The model is styled as an androginous commuter using items of clothing both genders can wear. Also cropping out the head of the model meant you cannot tell the gender emulating our unisex brand. The photos taken were to show the detailing of the bag and the numerous straps/ways you can hold the bag. The neutral colouring/monochrome tones with a hint of colour in the scarf were used to refelct our brand and our simplistic colour palette.
ADVERT MOCK-UP Advertising will be shown on taxi’s, at airports, in newspapers and on billboards and bus stands in the relevant places to where our customers would work, shop or spend their lunch breaks. As well as this, if we decide to go to business conventions, we will need posters to promote ourselves. Our budget for advertising to start with will not include Facebook advertising as we are able to set our own limits and changes these when and where we would like. We would probably use this method a lot more around Christmas, because online shopping will be on the rise around these Christmas months.
BUSINESS PLAN 1: Executive Summary; Mission Statement. Pinya Pockets is a sophisticated brand dedicated to providing a reliable and practical bag for commuters. A flexible, fashionable and unisex product, we strive to help each customer with the everyday battle of the daily commute, by having everything you'd need for your job, in one practical and stylish bag. We may be a small company but we think big and have innovative ideas appealing to all. Offering a selection of bags from, rucksacks, briefcases and satchels; Pinya Pockets isn’t just a brand, it's a lifestyle and attitude. With customisable, removable pockets you have a say in how your bag is designed and organised, making it personal to you and able to carry your workload with ease. As increasingly more people are becoming more conscious of their carbon footprints, Pinya Pockets also believes in taking care of the planet, so you'll find that all of our bags are made from sustainable, organic materials and are not tested on any animals.
Business Opportunity. Have you ever struggled to find things in the depths your bag? Have you ever found yourself stuck; when you've tried rummaging through your bag during rush hour, all the while being pushed and squashed by your fellow travellers? The accessories market is constantly growing and evolving, it's huge. There are accessories for literally every thing and every occasion. This is a good thing as it means there is a market that will never dry up, there will always be a need for accessories in whatever form the customer wants them; in turn there will always be designers to create them. The challenge is that with this, there will always be a constant influx of new designs, new competitors, as well as existing big name brands who as successful corporations; use cheap materials, cheaper labour, sell cheaper products and turn massive profits. There is a lot of choice out there for the consumer, how do you make yourself as a business stand out from the crowd? At Pinya Pockets we have something a little different. We help our customers to personalise a bag that is unique to them and their needs. Pinya Pockets will design your bag with the compartments and layout of your choosing. Should you find that in time your requirements change, you can simply zip the old lining out of your bag and design a whole new one to fit your current bag. There isn't another product quite like this on the market today.
2: Vision and Objectives; Customers and consumers. From the start of the design process we have engaged with our customer base through questionnaires. We wanted to find out what bag designs would be most popular and what compartments people would prefer and require. We asked for the customers age, type of employment, and how they travel to work to ensure we could narrow down the responses to just our target customer. 1. What is your age? 2. Type of employment? 3. What city do you currently work in? 4. How do you travel to work? 5. What do you keep in your bag? 6. When buying a bag for work, what features do you look for? 7. How much did you spend on your last bag? 8. How much would you spend on a custom made bag for work? 9. What do you prefer your bags to be made from? 10. What would you add to your current bag? When asked about their thoughts on bags for their travels and work, most said that they desire a bag with lots of compartments within it, for everything they need to carry with them, laptops, phones, books, documents, keys, food. If the commute was very long for someone, then a compartment for a change of clothes or shoes could be considered in the design. Our target customer range is aged between 25-55, although their age isn't what we are trying to attract; more their lifestyle and attitude. They tend to work in the city, travelling on the tube, bus, taxi or on foot. As a commuter they often travel over an hour on public transport every day. They have a comfortable disposable income, spending money on higher quality products and using brands such as Cos, Russell and Bromley, Waitrose and Selfridges. They usually go to work dressed professionally and desire a bag to compliment their particular style. However, as they are commuters from all walks of life, they all have different needs and desires for a bag. Our customer requires more compartments within a bag than the average man or women. Whether they are travelling for work or leisure, they're generally very active types and are conscious and well informed of the products they are buying day to day. Direct competition. Our strongest and largest competitors are the Breton Company, Vessel and Laudi Vindi. Of the three, the Breton Company are our biggest competition. They sell one particular bag called 'The Modern Day Briefcase' in three different colours and two sizes. Features include; padded shoulder straps (ideal for commuters), laptop sleeve with secure strap, three pen holders, 2 card holders, and four pockets in the front zipped compartment (ideal for a laptop charger, phone ext). The Modern Day Briefcase is designed with two leather handles as well as the padded shoulder straps, so you can use it as a backpack or carry it as a briefcase.
They say The Modern Day Briefcase is made from ‘the best leather in the world’. This is a strong and attractive statement but it also limits the potential customer base, as vegetarians and vegans in particular, won't buy animal products of this nature. The exterior of the bag is made from a waxed cotton, making the bag water resistant. This is a great feature and appeals to commuters as they are often caught in bad weather. They also use YKK zippers to ensure that the bag will last. Their social media presence isn't as good as it could be. On some social media pages they posted photos of the bag style that I use. When the account was first set up he posted a photo of his child, which I found a bit unprofessional. I think its important for a start up company to keep its media interactions clear from the start. Other than that they have an impressive 32k followers and they are consistent with their use of hashtags! They engage with the customers comments, which is really good – people tend to buy from companies regularly if they have a good rapport with them, I know I would! Perhaps they should post photos of customers who have purchased the bag, to make the customer relations greater and attract further sales. In the age of social media, perhaps a promotional gimmick or competition would support this, such as customers taking selfies with their new bags in order to get a percentage off of their next purchase. This is definitely something we will be looking into as it's incredibly important to have a good, trusting relationship with your customers and word of mouth is a fast and powerful way to get the word out about our product. STRENGTHS: •Niche market •Practical product •Materials (waterproof) •Sells worldwide •Affordable price for target market •Unisex WEAKNESSES: •Limited style •Limited Colours •Advertisement •Mainly aimed at men OPPORTUNITY: •Worldwide shipping (make the information online clearer) •Collaborations, publicity THREATS: •Loyal customers to well known brands •Style (quite athletic) •High quality brief cases •Promotion in UK
Overview of the industry. Even though the accessories market is huge and ever growing we found that there is a gap in the market for commuters desiring a professional and practical bag. There are so many bags on the market for business men and women, however very few of those combine style and practical compartment space. Many find that they can have an expensive designer bag that looks professional but isn’t practical enough, where others find the practical bags on offer to be unappealing and often boring.
Future plan. Going forward with the plan for our brand, we project that in 3-5 years time Pinya Pockets will have developed into a larger company with a loyal customer base that continues to grow with us. It is our aim to become a sustainable and prosperous brand, ever expanding our range of products so we can evolve with current consumer desires. We will continue to offer new and innovative pocket designs, always individually tailored to the customers travelling needs. As we grow so will the product range available, we will develop new bag designs, offering different sizes and straps, the current pocket inserts reflect our starter colour palette, of nude and neutral tones. In the future, we want to make the pockets even more unique to each customer, by offering the option of a coloured pocket to reflect their personality; from muted pastels to bright yellow, shocking pink to animal print, the possibilities for the inserts are endless. If we successfully market our brand on social media and procure a large enough follower base and a small but regular customer base, we hope to then start opening our concession stands. We will be opening concessions in cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, London and Edinburgh. These stands will offer our customers the chance to meet with a designer or trained staff member, who will help them to personalise and order their own Pinya Pocket Bag. An iPad or similar digital viewing device, swatch samples, pocket and bag examples and the trained staff will be on hand to assist them with their purchase. In time we hope that high end stores such as Selfridges and Harrods, will stock our products. As our company grows we will need to expand the premises and the work force. We need to hire a larger team for in-store sales, we would need an IT team, public relations and administration, payroll, and a design team. In order for our brand to grow and to uphold the quality of production we aspire to, we willneed to invest in newer, faster and more professional equipment; such as Mac computers, a fully functional design studio, office premises and access to top quality materials. To make top of the line products, we will need a top of the line set up. In 5-10 years time we want to develop our advertisements world wide through television advertising and magazine spreads such as I-D. A celebrity endorsement is another great way of promoting our brand and attracting a greater customer base. We would like a celebrity that falls into our consumer target, such as Gok Wan or Fern Cotton. Both are business people who live and travel in London, they’re also stylish and current. Future collaborations with established, environmentally conscious designers such as Stella McCartney; who doesn’t use leather or fur in her designs and actively supports PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), would be an amazing opportunity and step forward for Pinya Pockets.
3: Market and competitive landscape. Business opportunity. Our customer questionnaire showed that people desire a bag that is more practical and much more durable. It also shows that people are becoming much more conscious about what their clothes are made of and where they purchase them from. Pinya Pockets uses Pinatex; which is a new, sustainable and natural non-woven fabric, made from the fibres of pineapple leaves. These fibres are the by-product from the growth of pineapples, which means there is no excessive waste, water or chemicals used in the process of developing Pinatex. For the linings of our bags, we use organic cotton, also used from sustainable sources. We believe that all of the choices we make as a brand effects the world around us, therefore it is important to take care of it as we go. We feel that this belief will connect with our target audience and beyond.
our company strategy. Pinya Pockets aim is to first generate interest in our product we will do this first by social media. As previously mentioned, once we get a large following and a small but loyal customer base we will then start advertising our product; commencing from the beginning of November. The reason for starting at this point is so we can expect more sales at Christmastime; the public are generally a little more receptive to advertising in November! Christmas descends quickly, the shopping becomes more and more frantic. We will be advertising on taxi’s, at airports, bus stops, train stations, the underground; in newspapers and on billboards, in all of the relevant places where our customers would travel and work, shop or spend their breaks. To keep our customer loyal it’s important to create the best possible experience for them. We will do this through a very high standard of customer service; from the moment the bag has been chosen, right through to its packing and shipping. We want the customer to enjoy the experience of personalising their bag with one of our team, so our staff will consist of down to earth, knowledgable and professional members. We also want them to have a good online experience and so there will be members of the team at hand to talk via a chat box or over the telephone if there are any queries. We will also offer 30% off a next shop so you can get even more personalised linings. This will help generate repeat purchases and create loyal customers. Pinya Pockets has a very fresh and modern website; using simple and appealing colours that don’t take focus away from our products. As our customers will be able to use our website to purchase and customize the bags, we made it easy and accessible for everyone. Our website includes pages such as our home, site map, shopping, look book, shopping bag, contact us etc. We want our customers to be provided with plenty of easy to read information about our brand and products and how they are produced. To advertise our brand, we have set up social media pages such as Instagram and Facebook. We chose Instagram and Facebook, as they are most used and popular platforms used on social media. We looked into Twitter but from pages that we compared against each other, the followers were a lot less than those of Facebook and Instagram. From 2014-2015, 49-59% Instagram users are on the platform daily, where as Facebook stays unchanged with 70%. We use social media to provide information about our products, brand development and up coming events. We post at least three times a week to stay active and keep our followers interested. As it becomes more popular, we will post more and interact more.
4: Implementation plan. Organizational structure. At Pinya Pockets we all work as a close-knit team, our job roles overlap each other as we are all capable of doing each others work! But any decisions are thoroughly discussed and made unanimously. We take on most of the work ourselves such as marketing, branding, designing and managing social media; if we ever find we are unable to carry out a task, we outsource it to somewhere that can. We buy our fabric from Pinatex, our organic cotton from The Organic Cotton Company, zips from Zipper Station. We currently package and post our products ourselves, however we get our boxes made from Zeal-x Packaging Productsand our Cellophane from Widd Up. We adhere to a code of conduct, where everyone, from the places we source our materials, to the team that works for us; are treated fairly and equally, with the respect that they deserve. Managing risks. There are many risks when starting up a new company and we aim to be prepared and minimize any potential problems that may occur. To manage our physical risks we will; •Ensure sure all employees receive approved and ongoing health and safety training. •Inform all employees of health and safety in the work place by appropriate use of posters and information. •Ensure all employees have fire safety training and know what to do in the event of a fire and where the assembly point is. As we don’t have a store just office space this will be easier to manage. Fire safety will be carried out by the appointed fire marshal. •Ensure the premises are safe to work in by a health and safety or environmental protection inspector.
To manage health risks; •At Pinya pockets we strive for a happy, motivated work environment. If someone becomes unable to work through illness whether mental or physical, we will offer continued support to them until they are able to return to work. •The premises will be kept to a high standard of cleanliness. Toilets, staff areas and desks will be kept tidy to prevent poor standards. •Certain tasks will be subject to risk assessments, in order to prevent accidental injury. Technology risks; •In case of a power outage the building we have rented has a back up generator so we can continue with our work as usual. •Computers are easily hacked so they must be assessed regularly in order to protect confidential data (Customer data, bank details etc) •Machines often break down, which will always lead to production problems and delays; anything electrical must be checked annually by an approved electrician. Keep up to date service records. •Computers often crash, losing valuable data. Important files should be backed up daily and paper copies kept where possible. The best way to prevent any risks is to make sure our employees are provided with full and ongoing training. This not only could limit project failures but prevent accidents or even death. One of the most important things to factor into risk prevention is due diligence. Other considerations are employment history checks and references for new employees and background checks on companies we wish to do future business with. It is important that all legal aspects are covered, insurance, inspections, health and safety – if we did not have the appropriate paperwork and an accident happened at work, we could be liable for compensation, legal fees and more. We also need to take into consideration that financial markets will rise and fall, recessions can hit very hard and there are taxes that need to be paid. An accountant will be required to keep on top of the figures, there is going to be a lot of overhead before a profit is turned.
Marketing mix. Product: A range of bags, briefcases, rucksacks and satchels. All made from pineapple leather sourced from the Philippines. The bag has customisable inserts, which are zipped into the lining of the bag. The inserts have pockets based on your needs. We wanted to create a bag for commuters that made it easier for them to travel on the tube/ train; we aim to please a wide customer audience from 25 to 55 years old. The bags are on trend, with a minimalistic colour palette. Our choice to use pineapple leather was a conscious one, we wanted to make our bags sustainable and no use of animal skin or testing. Place: Our bags are currently sold online only; this means that we don’t waste money and space on renting stores. Instead we will have a concession stand indepartment stores such as Selfridges and House of Fraser. The stand will include examples of bags and inserts that we make, there will also be an iPad from which you can place your order. If there is any assistance needed there will be a team member on the stand who will assist you and can take orders if you don’t want to use an iPad. They will be trained on all of the information about the fabric, inserts and what can be customised. Promotion: We will advertise our brand via social media; we will use Instagram and Facebook, as these are what our age range of customers usually uses. We will also advertise on the train and on billboards around train stations and areas where our customers work/go for lunch e.g. Canary Wharf and London Liverpool Street. Price: Our brands average at £360. The price is reasonable for our product, due to the fabric used and the customisable feature. Our customers are working in the city; therefore the price range is realistic for their income and personal expenses.
Strengths. •We offer a unique product. There is nothing else in the market quite like Pinya Pockets. •Our product is functional, practical and stylish. •We solve the problem in our niche market face. •We are Eco-friendly and promote using sustainable materials, from the fabrics we use to make our bags, down to the packaging we use to ship them. Weaknesses. •Our price range might be too high for some customers. •We are only online for the first year and some customers might not trust a new brand without seeing the product in hand first. •As we only source very unique fabrics, there is a risk of losing those sources and not being able to replace them quickly enough. Opportunities. •As we are an online shop, we can reach customers world wide. •There is the possibility of opening stores in the future, depending on customer demand. •Creating jobs in a very busy industry. •Freedom to be creative. Threats. •The accessories market is fast paced, ever growing and will never end, therefore we will always face competition. •The credit crisis, recession and other financial risks make it very difficult to start up and maintain a business, especially in the first three years. •Bad press – word of mouth travels very fast and people are more likely to tell their friends and family of a bad experience they have had, over a good one. Poor customer service can destroy a company’s reputation, just as quickly as a sour newspaper article or bad review.
5: Financial.
Funding requirements: Start up costs. •Organic cotton – 300 Meters (for 300 bags) x £6.95 = £2,085 •Pinatex Material (if not able to have as trade credit) – 300 Meters (for 300 bags) x £18 = £5,400 •Zips – 10 meters makes 13 inserts. £8.70/13 = 0.67p each, so 300 x 0.67 = £201 •Labour - £100 per bag in labour. •Packaging – 600m cellophane, will wrap around 300 boxes. You can buy 600m for £138.12 •Ordering 300 draw boxes for the packaging will cost around £723, which is £2.41 per box. •2 x computers for the office to begin with, to handle with orders and customers contacting us 2x PC £900. •12 months rent which is all inclusive is £4,800, total being £14,250. •Advertising £2,500-£3,000 We would need £17,250 in total to start up Pinya Pockets with our rent space, utilities, fabric, packaging, computers and advertising. Funding. We would like to use Crowdfunder to raise the bulk part of our set up costs. With Crowdfunder if you do not meet your target, the money is given back to the pledges. We would like to set our target to £10,000; looking at the average pledge which is around £50, we would need 200 people to pledge that average to meet our target. The average rate for people who pledge after seeing our site is 5%, so we would need around 4000 people to visit our site. These are targets set by Crowdfunder and this is how we were able to set a realistic target for ourselves. The rest of the money would be through a bank loan. By having £2000 crowdfunded and the rest as a bank loan, this would take some of the long term financial pressure off of our company, as we would have less to pay back. We would borrow £8000 from the bank and plan to pay this back within 3 years with an interest rate of 9.9%; so over this amount of time we would pay back £9380. After researching our competitors, we found that they used similarmethods such as Kickstarter to fund their money.
Break-even. Within the first year we are aiming to break even; to do this we would need to sell 85 bags. Within our budget for starting up we have included the prices for the materials to create the bags, set a budget of £3,000 for advertising, prices for the packaging, rent for the year and our equipment that we need in the office. Our bags will be made by a manufacturer, where we will supply them with the materials that we are designing with; the Pinatex from Ananas Anem and the organic cotton from The Organic Cotton Company. In doing this we will be paying for the fair labour used to make our bags. Conclusion: It’s not an easy task to set up a new business, particularly one within the boundaries of the fashion world. Accessories are always in demand, always changing and there are thousands of designers out there cornering sections of the market; making it difficult for something new and exciting to come to the table. We believe we have something new, something innovative and exciting; in our personalised bag for the organised commuter. People like to be given choices and lots of them; styles, colours, textures and practicality. Sometimes they just want something environmentally friendly! We offer all of those things to our customers; we use sustainable, organic fibres in the creation of our bags and offer a range of styles and colours to suit every commuter or top quality consumer. We feel that our start up plan is realistic and could be a great success, if there is anything that we may have not covered in this business plan then we hope that it would not cause any hindrance.
CONCESSION MOCK-UP In order to make our concession stand reflect our brand we agreed that we need to stick to our logo colour palette. We have gone for a white surface with our logo clear to see above the counter, on one wall we will have a mirror for customers to try a prototype bag. There will be swatches available for colour and texture indications as the bag will be ordered online via the provided Ipad. A few extra touches include a carpet matching the turquoise logo and a few pineapple embellishments here and there.
NETWORK DIRECTORY Ananas Anam – Contacting about the Pinatex fabric. pinatex@ananas-anam.com +44 (0)2 075 904 458 Facebook : Pinatex Metro newspaper – contacting about advertising noticeboard@ metro.co.uk (no reply) Bag manufactures MARIA SKOYLES – 07590264246 GDH Leatherwork - 01437 563110 jamesm@mediaagencygroup.com Media agency group. James McNicholas